1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing device stored with a recording medium and capable of recording and reproducing audio information, and more in particular, it relates to a recording and reproducing device capable of recording and reproducing image information in addition to audio information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable IC recorder has been widely used, which has a built-in recording medium such as a semiconductor memory and the like and is capable of recording and reproducing audio information. In such an IC recorder, while a recording amount continues to increase, accompanied with the increase of recorded audio information, it has become difficult to grasp the content of the recorded audio information, and the reproduction of necessary audio information has become a difficult task. Further, to rapidly reproduce necessary audio information, a user has been compelled to take a note of audio information separately recorded and input a file name and the like into the recorded audio information.
To solve such problems, if an image capture lens for capturing an image and a monitor for displaying the image captured by this image capture lens could be provided for the IC recorder, and if a so-called book marker function taken as an earmark of the recorded audio information by capturing and recording the image at the recording time of the audio information could be provided, usability would be enhanced, and convenience would be provided. It is conceivable that this monitor is allowed to display the recording time of audio information at the recording time, a remaining recordable amount of audio information, and various pieces of information on time and the like in addition to an image captured by the image capture lens, and also to display information on the number of images to be captured and the like.
Further, in the IC recorder having a camera section including the lens and the monitor of this type, when audio information only is recorded or when this IC recorder is not used, it is desirable that the camera section is stored within a device main body so as to protect the monitor and also to make a size of the entire device smaller at the carrying time.
Here, for example, through operation of a selector button and the like, it is possible to switch over various pieces of information such as recording time of audio information, a remaining recordable amount of audio information, image information, and the like which are displayed in the monitor. However, for example, in case image information relative to the audio information is captured at the recording time of the audio information, in addition to the operation of the camera section, the operation of the selector button and the like to switch over the display of the monitor section to the image capture information takes a lot of trouble, and lacks operability and convenience. Please refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-187292.